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January 26, 2015
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| Acadia National Park // Photo by Dave Wilson via Flickr |
Beth J. Harpaz, The Associated Press, January 26, 2015
It's free to visit national parks this year on Valentine's Day.
That's because Feb. 14 happens to fall during Presidents Day weekend, when entrance fees to all national parks will be waived.
Feb. 14, 15 and 16 are among nine fee-free days this year. Other fee-free days in 2015 are April 18-19, Aug. 25, Sept. 26 and Nov. 11.
And if you're wondering how to spend a romantic Valentine's Day in a national park, the National Park Foundation offers lots of ideas at http://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/play-together-stay-together — from stargazing at Joshua Tree National Park in California to wine-tasting aboard a train in Ohio‘s Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Of 405 national parks, 133 charge entrance fees.
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DESIGNER SAMPLE SALES
Most of us can't afford the clothing shown by top designers during New York Fashion Week, which runs Feb. 12-19. But if you'd like to add some big-name labels to your wardrobe, here's one way to do it at a discount on your next trip to New York.
Many designers sell leftover merchandise marked down at sample sales. Several showrooms around Manhattan regularly host the sales, including Soiffer Haskin, Clothingline and 260SampleSale, so check their websites for schedules. Fashion-insider and shopping websites also often list sample sales. Or simply follow your favorite designers and brands on social media, and join their mailing lists to get the information first.
Some sample sales offer moderately priced garments marked way down; others sell extremely high-end items that remain out of reach price-wise for most consumers even at drastic discounts. Enjoy the hunt, but be prepared for long lines, crowds and small sizes — after all, the samples are usually designed for models — though size won't matter for bags, scarves, jewelry and other accessories.
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BATMAN, BACKWARDS
Holy roller coaster! The Batman ride at Six Flags Over Georgia is going to run backward when the park opens for the season March 14.
The ride opened in the park in 1997 and has given more than 16 million rides since then, but they've all been in the same direction. The new twist on the ride's old twists will take the cars up a 10-story hill in reverse, then let them fly 50 mph backward along 2,700 feet of track.
The reverse operation will only be for several weeks into early spring.
The park in Austell, Georgia, near Atlanta, will operate weekends through May 17 before opening daily for the summer season. It will also be open daily April 4-12 during the local spring break.
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DINNER, DRINKS AND PICASSO
Go to the museum? Go out to eat? You could enjoy art with your dinner at Atlanta's new Atlas restaurant.
Two dozen 20th century paintings adorn the walls at the restaurant, located at The St. Regis Atlanta hotel in Buckhead.
The paintings include work by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon.
The restaurant opened Jan. 26. The menu by chefs Gerry Klaskala and Christopher Grossman focuses on regional ingredients.
The paintings are from the Lewis Collection, owned by the British billionaire investor Joe Lewis, who got his start in a family catering business, Tavistock Banqueting. Today Tavistock owns more than 200 companies in a variety of industries. Atlas is one of 14 brands operated by Tavistock Restaurant Collection.
This article was written by Beth J. Harpaz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
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